Reviews by funny_character

I have done battle with Steely Dan several times now, and have always walked away luke-warm, but with a respect for what they do. However, I will concede, that Aja clicked with me pretty well. Of the Steely Dan I've heard, Aja seems to be their masterpiece. The jazz influence, the real studio magic, and the accessible songs through it all finally gel for me in such a way that this album really clicks as an aesthetic, whereas other Steely Dan albums struck me as a little bland. While talking about it, I do think the jazz influence *is* actually a little overstated. This has jazz chords, and some rhythms, but to me, jazz is maybe defined most strongly by it's communication. It's a language for artists and their music to have a dialogue through, and *that* is something I don't really hear on Aja. But the jazz chords do contribute to this in a palpable way themselves. Steely Dan seem like they are having all the fun in the world scientifically arranging chords and dissonance and resolutions. There are passages on here that would just be heaven for theory nerds. However, this aspect does kind of put parts of Aja at arm's reach for me. Maybe I need to give it some more time, but I definitely still appreciate Aja more than I enjoy it, and the fact that it seems like it was written to be picked apart by people who already love Aja has a big deal to do with it. And it's not that I don't like complex pop songs, but the way it's handled on Aja just manages to skirt my emotional response a little. Maybe it's the combined dedication to making this intricate, *and* incredibly easy listening. Although, listening to this, there are a lot of moments that *really* worked for me. The cascading chorus of Deacon Blue for example is maybe the best realization of Steely Dan's meticulous approach that a I've heard yet. I know this reads more negative than my score conveys, but through it all, I can definitely see something special in Aja that I really can't find in a lot of other places. And I definitely see myself revisiting this in the future.

I love metal, but Pantera has never really been my cup of tea. I would say I like them, generally, but I rarely seek them out, and I have my reasons. I don't really like their production style, I don't really like Phil Anselmo's voice, or lyrics all the much. Hell, I just don't really like Phil Anselmo. But I do think Pantera deserves their place in the pantheon of metal acts. And it's really just for one reason. The riffs. Holy shit, Dimebag Darrell could write riffs.His technical abilities are obviously there, but there's such an understanding of restraint and raw power in his writing that most guitarists never really figure out. Look at Walk. The main riff for walk is literally a single note, which is bent. And it's one of the most iconic metal riffs ever. Look at the sheer weight of This Love's Breakdowns, or look at By Demons Be Driven's jackhammer riff. Listen to the staircase riff on A New Level. I don't even know if this is my favorite Pantera album for riffs (it might be Far Beyond Driven, but there are *absurdly* good riffs on every Pantera album from Cowboys on), but the library of riffs here is an absolute master class in riff construction. On this factor alone, Vulgar Display Of Power utterly soars. Not like one of my favorite metal albums or anything, but one which isn't being removed from the pantheon anytime soon.

I had never realized how much Rufus Wainwright's singing reminds me of Thom York. I had also never realized that he is the son of Loudon Wainwright III, so I've been learning quite a bit today. It took me a while to place the sound of this, but I kind of settled on " it's a little like if Radiohead had a neoclassical slant, and if I could believe the emotional core of Coldplay". This is a very pretty album, and Rufus Wainwright's singing is gorgeous. And honestly, I don't just want to keep bringing up Radiohead, but I genuinely think the best songs here kind of hit the magic that some of Radiohead's late '90s stuff had. But Want Two definitely has an identity of it's own too. Like I said, there's the neoclassical stuff; it's very rarely a bit much, but generally is executed with taste and purpose. There's also something kind of singer songwriter-y here, but I have a harder time explaining that. These slants all flavor and expand on what could have just been a solid alternative rock album. But instead this explodes with unique ideas, and delicate beauty and unique performances. I will say the quality drops off a little near the end, and that this could've maybe been a bit shorter, but I *am* very impressed.

A cool, queer pop album by Chris, but it's not one that strikes me as particularly essential. The sound here is basically minimalistic electropop that manages to have fun like a pop album while maintaining a kind of sparse, odd atmosphere. But I also don't think this lens is leaned into *that* heavily. This more or less just functions as a solid pop album, and if that's what you're looking for, you'll be happy. But at the same time, I don't really know why this is on here. If it's the pop lens, there are more important, recent pop albums in this niche that I would have went with. And if it's the queerness, there are more important modern trans pop albums that I would have gone with first (No shade to Chris, but the absence of Oil Of Every Pearl's Uninsides on the list is utterly insane). But, if you are willing to overlook this aspect; it's really solid.

The Chemical Brothers make a particularly rubbery sounding type of techno. And honestly, it grooves in a pretty infectious way. I don't have a lot to say about this, but it is very enjoyable.

I have already heard Moondance through this project, and while it's not a bad album, it *is* one I find almost impossible to care about. Astral Weeks is a little different though. While bluesy, it is so much more free sounding. The jazz elements of Van Morrison's works make so much more sense here. His riffing is in conversation with the beautiful, nearly formless music across this, and the conversation is just light and airy and wonderful. The textural buzz of bass strings and guitar clacks, and all sorts of odd percussion give this a remarkable crunch and level of textural intrigue. And his lyrical content shines as some of the least abstract, more linear stuff here, which tethers the experience to the familiar in some way. Sweet Thing is just the tip of the iceberg. It frustrates me to no end, because Van Morrison is a deeply obnoxious person, but this album makes me understand the argument that he is (or at least was) kind of a genius. The experience of listening to this feels as crystal clear and pure as spending an awfully long time admiring one particular section of a creek. You can't always appreciate every single detail you see, but you get the sense that if anything was different, it just wouldn't be the same.

Not one of my favorite funk albums on the list, but certainly a good one. It's not the album's fault but it *does* bug me however that I had to really dig to find the full album cut of the title track. The radio edit is just insubstantial. I wouldn't say it's one of my favorite funk singles, but said title track is an incredibly iconic song, and it *is* still a ton of fun. Everything else here ranges from groovy to a real standout, but there's certainly nothing unpleasant. I guess my biggest complaint is that Sister Sledge can't match the highs, or honestly the thematic depth of my favorite funk albums (although I'm open to the possibility that I've missed something). But in a vacuum, there's definitely nothing wrong with We Are Family. It's enjoyable, and energetic, and easy to listen to, while having a sense of identity and even some real hits. Solid stuff!

I like every consecutive Tim Buckley album more than the last. Happy Sad is pretty much gorgeous from beginning to end. From what I've heard, this seems to be his magnum opus, the moment where his Earthy folk music was able to meet his jazz influence and slight psychedelia in a way that makes this album feel like it just floats along. The songs are expansive, Buckley is expressive, and the lengthier movements never overstay their welcome. The cumulative effect is just spellbinding. It feels like in this moment, Tim Buckley transcends all of his components and influences and just makes an album outside of scene and time. To the extent that the best moments here remind me of some of my favorite Radiohead songs. And, in fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they were influenced by this, it just makes sense. Anyways, I don't want to call this a 5 yet, because this thing hasn't immediately transcended to the top of my pantheon, and I've spent so little time with it. But it's incredibly strong, and I will be revisiting it. Just an absolutely gorgeous album.

Despite being generally considered the least of Massive Attack's three masterworks, it isn't by much. Blue Lines has the benefit of innovation; the birth of Massive Attack. Mezzanine has the gift of mutation, as it warps the band's sound into strange, oily sculptures. That leaves protection as a strange middle child which has to fend for itself. Blue Lines is a little more liquid and cloudy than the *very* groovy Blue Lines, but it is still far warmer than the utterly quiksilver Mezzanine. Anyways, I am here to confirm that the material is damn near as strong as on either. This just turns the "spooky" and the "silky" up a little from Blue Lines, as well as the abstraction a bit; but it's otherwise recognizable as being in the same lineage. But compared to Mezzanine, this still has the jazz influence, and *definitely* the overt dub influence that Mezzanine almost entirely dropped. My favorites here are definitely on the spookier side; songs like the reggae inflected, but still very chilly Karmacoma, Three, Euro Child, Better Things, and Heat Miser. But songs like the deeply sensual title track are still very enjoyable. As well as the groovy Spying Glass. The greatest insight I got from this is that Protection more than deserves to stand among it's sisters, and that it is still a vital piece of trip hop. (Bonus points awarded for having *unbelievably* good album art. It's such a visually compelling representation of decay, it's slightly surreal, and it ties so closely into the then extant visual identity of the band while contributing something new. 5/5 album art for sure.)

Pretty underrated in the grander arc of grunge, and almost underrated in Mudhoney's discography. I know it's considered one of their best full lengths, but anymore I just hear people talk about Superfuzz Big Muff. And admittedly, that album is excellent. It's basically 25 odd perfect minutes of grunge, wildly influential and with production that makes it sound like an absolute grease fire. This still has some of the most creative noisy feedback, but I will say the sound here is a little toned back. But that isn't really to say this is much worse for it. The sound here has something indie-esque, almost breezy to it. Even the heaviest moments here have a nimble-ness that sits in sharp contrast to the caveman stomp of SuperFuzz Big Muff. I also wouldn't say the indie aspect of this is at all generic either, there's just a really odd kind of jangle here. I honestly find this album incredibly distinct, just as distinct as Superfuzz. Something like Let It Slide could have fit in there, but just the next song, Good Enough, has this strange infectious, airy little groove to it that makes the song live in a world all it's own when dragged into the soil by the stubbornly thick vocals. Honestly, Superfuzz is probably still a better release, but that's just because it's incredible brevity allows it to be almost supernaturally tight. A full length like this has just a little more wiggle room for error. But above all, I think Mudhoney is super underrated now. They had a little belt there where they just wouldn't stop pushing grunge into weird new places, and putting out fantastic new music while doing it.

This is pretty enjoyable! Anita Baker is great and there are a bunch of awesome, soulful performances here. But I have now listened to a good few '80s soul albums, and I'm kind of finding the through line. Anything with extremely '80s production is gonna sound a little plasticky to me, and some artists know how to lean into that and harness it compellingly, but I find that extremely earnest genres like soul tend to suffer a little in my opinion.There are songs here, most notably Mystery, where Baker uses some really unexpected moods and textures to harness the production into a form I like a lot, but I think it's in the way more often than not. This is still good overall though, and Baker is obviously an incredibly talented soul singer.

I'm not gonna pretend like this is something it isn't. This is some very of it's time alt rock. It's pretty fun, it's got plenty of catchy cuts. But it's definitely not exceptional. The hits here are my favorites: mostly Take Me out and This Fire, which both just sound cool, and have a great pulse. And the rest of the songs are easy enough to groove with too. But there just isn't that much beyond the surface of catchy songs here. There's quite a bit here that could probably make it into my sort of "guilty pleasure" rotation, for lack of a better word. But this whole album is just kind of alright.

I've never really liked Meat Loaf, but this *is* the classic. Bat Out Of Hell is, in my opinion, hokey and ridiculous. But the real problem is that I find it more hokey and ridiculous than fun. And don't get me wrong, it is at least a little fun. But it's *very* hokey and ridiculous. This is like as glam as glam gets. But I also don't think Meat Loaf has quite the charisma for the music he makes. But this doesn't stop him from going full force, which is important. I really had the most fun here with the high energy moments, like the lengthy title track, and other little pockets across here. But I just can't content with Meat Loaf's balladry. Most of them just drag so much for me. Although, I did end up thoroughly enjoying For Crying Out Loud. I just don't think this is really a record for me. Although, I get the sense that if you're into musical theater, you'd love this. Also, the production is really good, courtesy of Todd Rundgren, so at least it has that too.

Not nearly the most infamous Captain Beefheart, but Captain Beefheart nonetheless. Honestly, when he has relatively accessible albums like this, I don't think Trout Mask Replica tells the full story (although he was definitely still a dangerous lunatic, at least at times). Anyways, Safe As Milk sits in a funny place where it's much weirder than most of what was coming out at the time, but not *nearly* as weird as most everything that would soon follow for The Captain. But the core of Safe As Milk is really the songs, so it manages to be extremely enjoyable regardless (probably much more *enjoyable* than most of his other albums for the average person). But the lo-fi elements, arrangement quirks, and relatively unhinged vocals make it unmistakable: this *is* a Captain Beefheart album. It's kind of like Trout Mask, but it's like you can tangibly see that the throttles aren't jammed nearly as far as they are on that album, in most every way. There are honestly some really conventionally pretty songs here, and some really groovin' blues riffs. Even if it kind of feels like a stepping stone, Safe As Milk may be a masterpiece in it's own right, of it's own sort. If you like this, but don't like Trout Mask, I also recommend you check out Shiny Beast [Bat Chain Puller]. It's a little more off the wall than this, but not nearly as challenging as Trout Mask, and I think it should be discussed more. Anyways, for the meantime, Safe As Milk is a delight of it's own sort.

It took a little for this to grow on me, but it is pretty good. This is mostly a darker sounding Brit pop/alternative rock album. But there are some unique songs and cool lyrics all across this. I will say that the vocals remind me of David Tibet, which is bonus points too. Not one I have a ton to say about, but really enjoyable, and I could definitely see how this would be influencial or important to it's scene.

I'm kind of fascinated that this is the highest rated album in here. Sure it's pretty great, it doesn't always do a *ton* for me, but it definitely is great on some level. But I guess I just don't see what puts this head and shoulders above other great albums. I can kind of just hear this as a really solid '70s rock album. Admittedly, The Chain is one of the best songs ever, but a perfect album that does not make. I'm kind of impressed, but a little lost. I'll just call it a 4 for now and move on.

I liked this a *lot* more than Shadow Land, which lacks the punk edge of her earlier work, and the intrigue of this album. Ingenue has a cabaret edge that actually slots in wonderfully with the country influence. The overall sound absolutely sells the tenderness, and the romance, and the longing of this album. Lang's voice is gorgeous and her lyrics are too. The vast majority of these songs are really enjoyable. My only complaint is an occasional gripe about the production, which *very* occasionally drifts somewhere I'm not that into. But overall, I really loved this.

I was surprised by how good this was. It's an incredibly solid, tastefully assembled, and briskly paced folk rock album. I don't have much more for this one right now, but know that it's really good.

Sunshine Hit Me is a summery and breezy little psych pop album, that I enjoyed well enough. It did feel a little "background music" though. And it's also worth noting that the best song here is, in fact an Os Mutantes cover. Which both constitute a couple of points away. But I enjoyed my time well enough. Read this as a high 2.

This album's incredibly well written reggae songs, and deeply rhythmic edge couple beautifully with ultra-conscious lyrics in a super compelling way. I want to revisit this one before I speak on it with any real finality, because I think this could become one of my favorite reggae albums. I'd say this has more of a chill sound than many of my favorite reggae albums, but it makes the lyrics even more potent in comparison. This album is angry, but in such a quiet way that Marcus Garvey has a super cool sound. This one was pretty sick.